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Large Animal Veterinary

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My name is ***** *****, I have a 13/14 year old goat that…

Customer Question

Hi my name is...

Hi my name is ***** ***** Phillips, I have a 13/14 year old goat that has started having hay/grass hanging out of his mouth. He can eat goat feed after I pull all the grass out. I wormed him just to make sure that wasn't the problem. What do you think I need to do?

Veterinarian's Assistant: Thanks. Can you give me any more details about your issue?

Experience: As a veterinarian, I have been educated to treat all animals, big and small.

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Hello, I am afraid that the expert you have requested is not currently available. Still I am Dr. B, a licensed veterinarian and I would like to help you with your wee one today.

Now while worms can certainly cause weight loss in our goats, they won't often cause the signs you are reporting. Instead, this inability to fully eat grass he is grazing suggests that we have an oral based issue. At his age, the most common cause is dental disease and tooth loss. That said, we can also see this secondary to oral infections, abscesses, tongue damage, and masses. As well, though much less common, we can also see this related to nerve or muscle dysfunction in the jaw.

With all this in mind, it'd be ideal to have his vet (or if you are keen) fully examine his mouth. If we have an infection, wound, or abscess; then antibiotics would be indicated. If we have a tumor or tooth loss; then those can be trickier since there isn't a cure for them. Still, our approach in those causes would be palliation. Often we find that feeding short chopped hay and high fiber pelleted feeds of benefit to get that fiber into him even if he cannot manage the long grasses. As well, we will sometimes use pain relief (ie non-steroidal anti-inflammatoreis) if we suspect discomfort. Together, we can often keep them comfortable for a good wee while.

If you have any other questions, please ask me – I’ll be happy to respond. *Please remember to rate my service once you have all the information you need, as this is the only way I receive credit for helping you today. Thank you! : )

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Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.